Every Step of the Way
by kutnerlove
Summary: Boy likes girl, girl likes boy. In a world threatened by war what chance does love have? Could love be a salvation? Starting right before the Yule Ball. Non-DH complaint!
1. Do You Wanna Dance

Every Step of the Way

Ch 1- Do You Wanna Dance?

Fred looked over at his twin, who seemed to be lost in thought as he looked over toward the other end of the Gryffindor table. He knew George was a bit more than temporarily distracted, but he couldn't help but joke about the topic…that's just who he was. "Lusting over your lady?" he whispered into his twin's ear. George's ears burned scarlet as he turned to glare at his brother.

"Freddie, do we really have to go over this here?"

"No…I'll wait 'til we get back to the dormitory, but you're going to have to talk to her sooner or later," Fred pointed out.

George sighed, knowing his brother was right and stood to follow his doppelganger out of the Great Hall. He listened to Fred go on about his newest idea for a prank and laughed half-heartedly. Fortunately his brother let it slide until they were safely locked in the sixth year boys' dormitories. Before George could make his way over to his bed, Fred rounded on him. "Why are you so nervous? Just ask her to the ball."

"I don't know. I guess it's just different with this girl. I have no idea why and no reason to hold back since it's painfully obvious that I'm interested. She laughs at my jokes and winks at me sometimes, so it's quite possible that she fancies me as well, but I just tense up."

"Well you'd better bloody well untense before some other bloke comes along and asks her," Fred pointed out. "Else you'll be stuck asking one of the girls from the quidditch team to go…not that that would be a bad thing, mind you, but I know you're set on this one."

George sighed. "What am I going to do? I have a crush!"

"Make her crush back," Fred suggested.

"Easier said than done, mate."

"True." Fred eased up and flopped down on his four poster, waiting for George to do the same. "Just give it a go. Take a bit of the confidence crème if you like, but get it done, Georgie. It probably won't be as hard once you've asked her out."

"Maybe you're right…"

"'Course I'm right!"

"I'll just buck up and ask her when she comes back to the common room tonight."

"We could sneak you into the girls' dormitories," Fred said, waggling his eyebrows.

"I don't think seeing me as a stalker is going to warm her up to me, Freddie."

Fred shrugged. "Just an idea."

"You were just hoping to run into Angelina up there," George smirked.

"Not at all…that would have been a bonus though."

George laughed loudly. "Don't try and lie to me, brother. I know what you're thinking…remember?" Fred rolled his eyes and joined George in grinning. He loved his twin more than anything, but of course he got annoyed occasionally, which he was sure George did as well. The settled into eating chocolate frogs and conversing about new products until it was nearly eight, then George sat up to prepare for his chat with the pretty Gryffindor of his daydreams.

Mary McDonald was a pure blooded witch in the same year as the twins and came from a similar situation. She too had a blood traitor parent, her mother Sylveria was the sister of Pansy Parkinson's mother, Valerine and should have been a good Slytherin princess, but when she found out that her husband, Seamus McDonald had been killed trying to protect a muggle infant from Voldemort's wrath, she reevaluated her position. Mary had been raised to value people as people, much as the Weasleys had. She was fairly popular and very pretty, with waist length honey colored hair and dark chocolate eyes. Many boys in her year and above had commented on the curvy body she had been blessed with as well.

As George waited for her to enter the common room, he mused over the fact that she was still single. Of course she was fairly independent but very friendly, so he chalked it up to stubbornness. George let Fred beat him effortlessly at exploding snap three separate times before Mary entered with Katie Bell and Erin Lauder, a seventh year prefect. "Go on then," Fred encouraged before turning to engage Harry in conversation.

George took a bracing breath and stood, not taking his eyes off of Mary. Katie bade her friends goodbye and his hopes mounted…less girls to drag her away from. Mary smiled at him as he approached. "Hi, George," she greeted. He felt his belly quiver with excitement just being around her and steeled himself for what he had to do…he was a Weasley twin, dammit!

"'Lo, Mary. Could I have a word?"

"Sure. I'll catch you later, Erin."

Erin smirked at the pair before disappearing into a crowd of rowdy fifth years and George allowed Mary to lead him out of the common room and into the corridor. "Do you want to take a walk?" he asked.

"Sure." She smiled again and George had to fight the urge to throw himself upon her and kiss her face off.

"So…are you going to the ball?" he managed after a few minutes.

"Oh…yeah. What about you?"

"Definitely. Got to find a date, though."

"The infamous George Weasley doesn't have a date yet?" she asked, raising here eyebrows. "Interesting information."

"So it is…have you got a date?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well I'd planned on asking you, if you're still available," he said with more confidence than he felt. She was somewhat unnerving, which was something George had never before experienced.

Mary thought for a moment before grinning cheekily at him. "What will I get if I do agree to go to the ball with you?" she asked.

This had George stumped. He had no idea what he was supposed to say here. No girl that he had ever heard of had asked for something in exchange for a date. "Erm…what would you like?"

Her grin widened and George's heart sped up to a dangerous pace. The naughty spark in her eyes was enough to keep him hooked on her for a lifetime. "Oh, I couldn't tell you that…that would ruin the fun. The spontaneity of the whole thing would be gone if I just told you what I wanted out of the experience."

"I think I'm in love," he blurted out, earning a laugh from Mary. He blushed straight to his ears, but forced himself to stand proud. "If you'll have me, I'll take on the challenge of acquiescing to your wishes for this ball," he told her.

"Alright then, George. Consider it a date." She smiled wider when his blush started to abate. "I've fancied you for quite some time, you know," she confided as they rounded the corner in front of the charms classroom.

"I could say the same thing."

"I was nervous though…didn't think I'd be all that appealing to you. You're smart and funny, handsome and charming and quite frankly I'm just a girl who likes a laugh."

George looked at her curiously. "You do know that you're crazy, right?" When she chuckled with him, he continued. "You're gorgeous…among other things."

"I was hoping you'd say that," she told him with a grin. She looked around quickly before pulling George into a deserted classroom. George's heart was racing, but his normal countenance was returning. She was making him so comfortable, he didn't even remember his nerves until she locked them in the classroom.

"Not that I mind being in here with you, but what are you doing?" he asked.

"You'll see," she replied, eyes twinkling. She let her school robes fall to the ground and stood in front of him in her school skirt, shirt and tie. His mouth formed a silent 'O' as he watched her slowly loosen the tie and move toward him.

"Isn't this a bit fast?" he asked her. She said nothing, but tossed the tie into the pile of discarded robes. George briefly considered just letting her continue as she worked on unbuttoning her shirt, but his mother hadn't raised him to be a 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' type of guy and he wanted to show this girl whom he had been enamored with the respect he knew she deserved. Before she could unveil the glory that was her full bosom he placed a hand over hers. "Look…I like you a lot, Mary. I wouldn't want you to do something you'd regret later and believe it or not, I'm not the player some would believe. When we get to know each other a little better maybe."

His libido kicked him mentally, but he knew he was ultimately making the right decision and that was confirmed when Mary beamed at him, her eyes showing the warmth that she felt. "You really are a good man, George Weasley," she told him as she righted herself.

"Yes, well I'll probably regret stopping you when I'm tucked into bed reliving this experience."

She laughed gently and resumed her robes before moving toward him once more. "You passed."

"Passed what?" he asked curiously.

"My test." She said it as though it was the most simple thing in the world, but he was still baffled. "George, when a guy wants to go out with me I have to make sure he's not some creep. I sort of test the waters a bit by seeing how far he'll let me undress."

"What if he let's you go all the way?" he wanted to know, surprised that she could be so open. She had seemed like a respectable girl.

"I never go farther than taking my top off. You'd see as much if we went swimming together. If he lets me get it all the way off or if he's upset when I stop unbuttoning, I know he's a jerk and just after sex…and then I hex him and write him off, then tell all my girlfriends to look out. You're only the second guy who's asked me out and has actually stopped me from putting myself in a compromising situation," she informed him.

"Who else stopped you?" he asked, relieved that she was still as respectable and good as he had originally thought.

"Oliver Wood."

"Wood stopped you?"

"Yeah…I'm pretty sure he was more surprised than really chivalrous, though." George silently agreed to that sentiment. "When I explained it to him, he was way more confident in himself for being a gentleman than any actually gentleman would have been." She rolled her eyes and George had to laugh. He had found out why she was single, at least, one less mystery to discover: she only dated guys who had some decency about them.

"While that is probably an effective method of rooting out the scabs, that is a bit dangerous," he told her.

"I can handle myself," she assured him. "Draco Malfoy actually tried to touch me during his test and ended up in the hospital wing with a baby elephant trapped inside his arse."

George snorted. "That explains why he couldn't sit properly for the month of February," he said.

Mary looked him over. "I'm glad you passed the test, George. I had really hoped you would."

"Yes well it was a damned hard one…nearly failed. You are a very beautiful woman." He grinned when she blushed.

"We should probably be getting back," she suggested.

"Right." They didn't talk much as they made their way back up to Gryffindor tower, but once outside the portrait she stopped him from going inside.

"I'd like to get to know you a little better before the ball if you don't mind."

"That'd be nice."

"Want to meet me by the lake after classes tomorrow?" she asked.

"Ok." She nodded and he paused once more before giving the password to enter the common room. "Mary?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him to see him closing the space between them. He brushed his lips lightly against hers, then quickly pulled away. She opened her eyes to see him smiling at her. "Shall we?"

George had quite the story for his twin before they climbed into bed that night.


	2. Take a Chance

Every Step of the Way

Ch 2- Take a Chance

When George woke up the next morning, he couldn't help but grin. Mary McDonald was definitely unlike any girl he had ever met. Even Fred was surprised and a bit infatuated when he heard about the previous evening's encounter. "You've got to be the luckiest guy at Hogwarts," Fred had said. "Are you still nervous?"

"No, she actually made me feel really comfortable…I'm back to my flirtatious roots."

"Don't flirt too much before you're sure she likes you," Fred suggested. "After hearing about that Malfoy thing I'm glad mum molded us into gentlemen…" George laughed while Fred cringed.

"You're up early," Fred said groggily when George returned from having a shower.

"No, brother, you're in bed late. We've got charms in fifteen minutes."

Fred let out a stream of profanities and climbed out of bed. "I hate having class at 9 a.m., it's a drag."

"But we've got to do it…we're doing voice changing charms today and I know you don't want to miss that. Dead useful that is for our next product line."

Fred grumbled a bit, but got ready in record time. He and George were only ten minutes late, their customary time, so Flitwick wasn't as annoyed as he would have been if Fred hadn't shown up at all. The boys got to work and had perfected the charm within a quarter of an hour, much to their professor's amusement. They practiced a few more times and then left the rest of the class at it while they joked about Lee's abysmal performance.

As the day wore on, George got more and more anxious for the end of classes. Fred snickered at his expense, but he didn't really mind since he had at least gotten a date with Mary. He let his twin go on about the uses of love potions in George's personal life, only chiming in to say that Fred was one to talk. By the time his last class, Care of Magical Creatures, let out, he was more than ready to see Mary, who was in Ancient Runes last. He made his way down to the lake as casually as was possible given his excitement and flopped down onto the lake bank to await her arrival.

George had his sleeves pushed up and his tie was loose when Mary first caught sight of him. She couldn't help but smile as he looked up at her with those warm, sparkling eyes. "Hello love, fancy meeting you here," he greeted her as she joined him on the bank.

"Not like we had a date or anything…" she replied with a grin.

"How was your day?"

"Alright…saw your brother Ron spill ink down the front of some first year's robes, then get yelled at by his girlfriend for being so rude," she told him with a grin.

"Not the most delicate of creatures, Ron," George laughed.

"So I learned."

George smiled at Mary for a few moments before talking again. "So you'd like to get to know me better, eh?"

"Well I know you're a funny guy, and chivalrous, but we've never really had a heart to heart, now have we?"

"I dunno if I'm the heart to heart type," he said with a grin.

"Ah…ok…tell me something no one knows about you," she suggested.

"Fred knows everything about me," he protested.

"Then tell me something only Fred knows."

"Erm…let's see." He thought for a moment. "I wanted to be Minister of Magic until I learned that he had to go through a four year training program. And that I couldn't bring Fred along with me."

She grinned. "That's sweet…and a bit lazy of you."

"We can't all be academics," he replied, not at all fazed. "Your turn."

"I prefer muggle orange juice to pumpkin juice," she said immediately.

"Never tried it…sounds tasty though." He winked. "If I tell you this one, you'll have to promise to keep it between us."

"Alright."

"I've been keeping a giant turtle in our bathroom."

"What? Merlin! I want to see it!!!"

George laughed. "What will I get out of it?" he asked, mimicking her response to being asked to the Yule Ball.

"You'll have to keep a secret as well if you want to know!"

"You've got a secret?" he asked, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"I got a tattoo over the summer that my mum has no idea about. Only Erin knows."

"If I show you Harvey I get to see your tattoo," he told her, his eyes positively dancing.

"Is Harvey the turtle?" she asked. George nodded. "Ok. But we'll have to do it somewhere fairly secluded."

"Where is this tattoo?" he questioned gleefully.

"I'm only showing you this because I've already tested you, George," she warned. "And I'd hate to have to reevaluate my position on you."

"Alright…I am the gentleman that you think I am…but I want to see this ink." She laughingly led him back to the castle and they made their way up to Gryffindor tower. George took her into the boys dormitories after making sure that there was no one around and led her into the bathroom. She gasped, catching sight of the eight foot turtle. The twins had painted his name on his back in flashing purple paint and she grinned at George before conjuring a carrot to feed the beast. "How are you keeping this a secret?" she wanted to know.

"This bathroom is only for sixth year guys. Me and Fred, Lee, and Mitchell Davies are the only blokes who know about him and they've all signed a form that makes it illegal for them to talk about it unless that person is shown Harvey immediately thereafter."

"So you've got some kind of protection on him?"

"'Course. Can't have him found out until the Yule Ball. We're planning something special for him. A coming out, so to speak."

"Does Dumbledore know?"

George grinned. "Not yet." She laughed with him. "Alright, now let's see your tattoo…I held up my end of the deal."

She blushed a bit for the first time George could remember and gave a small nod, then slipped out of her school robes. He felt curiously like he was experiencing déjà vu until she turned around and untucked her shirt, then pulled it up a bit. He moved closer and pulled the hem of her skirt down a bit to reveal a scorpion on the small of her back. George ran a finger over it as it snapped its pincers and moved its stinger as though trying to hit him. "Wicked," he breathed. He fixed her skirt and allowed her to rearrange her clothing until she was fully clothed once more, her robes and all.

"Why a scorpion?" he asked after a moment.

"Just liked it…he seems to be pretty fond of me as well," she smiled. "You're in on my secret now, Weasley, and I expect you'll keep it."

He grinned. "Oh this is just between the two of us for sure." George was liking Mary McDonald more and more.

"Good." She smiled softly at him. "Dinner?"

"Yeah." They left the boys dormitories for the Great Hall, where they joined Fred, Katie and Lee. Before the end of the night George had kissed her briefly for a second time and found himself even more attracted to her than before he had asked her to the ball. Fred waggled his eyebrows suggestively and George joined him in speculating about possible pairs for the night of the ball when the returned to the dormitory. For the first time, George had a secret that he wasn't about to tell his twin…not yet anyway.


	3. I'll Even Show You How to Strut One Day

Every Step of the Way

Ch 3: I'll Even Show You How to Strut One Day

As the Yule Ball drew nearer and nearer, George and Mary spent more time together. He discovered that she was quite a talented witch and exactly the kind of girl he never knew he was looking for. She on the other hand, was steeled in her decision that he was the right wizard for her. They talked about things that George had only discussed with Fred and by the night before the ball, George found himself completely in love.

"You sure she didn't slip you something, mate?" Fred asked with a laugh as George came into the tower late for the third night in a row.

"Sure I'm sure. She's amazing, Fred. You should look for someone like her."

Fred snickered. "I don't think Angelina'd much like it if I was off looking for other skirts while promised to be her date for the ball…she'd have my ass at practice."

George joined his laughter as he flopped down onto his four poster. "Well, you'd better hope that she's not as vicious off the field as she is on," George advised his twin, "or you might not even be able to handle being on a broom for a while."

"Very funny." Fred chucked a pillow at George, then crawled under the covers. George kept the extra pillow, but stood to undress for bed. "She really has got you under some kind of spell though," Fred told his brother as he lazily shot a hex at him from under the blankets.

"Ow!!! Git!!!" George roared as the stinging hex took effect. He glared at his twin until the pain was gone and he was safely in his own bed. "Freddie?"

"Hmm?" Fred replied, clearly having forgotten hexing his twin.

George sent a tickling hex at his brother, which he knew bothered Fred the most, as he settled down for the night. "Night, Freddie!"

Fred mumbled some indecipherables as his breathing returned to normal. He turned over, secretly grinning because George still hexed him back, and fell asleep.

"What are you lot on about?" Fred asked as he and George approached the Gryffindor table to find Hermione insulting Ron. Harry shot him a warning glance before Hermione stormed off, eyeing him like he was a foul piece of meat. The twins took a seat on either side of Harry and raised their eyebrows questionably at the young hero.

Ron stormed off after noting that they were going to question Harry about him while he was sitting just across the table, and they started in. "So?" George pressed.

"Ron's just discovered that Hermione is a girl…albeit a last resort one. She's got a date to the ball already, though and he's pissed."

"Sounds like baby brother has a bit of a crush on the bookworm," Fred said gleefully.

"How's he going to like seeing her with some other bloke all night?" George wondered out loud.

"Not something I think I want to be around for," Fred put in.

"Well we're going with the Patil twins, so things can't go too wrong, can they?" Harry asked as though the twins were actually able to grant his wish for a decent evening. They shrugged at him and tucked into breakfast, leaving him wondering just how bad the ball was going to be. They, on the other hand, were perfectly content in how they imagined their evenings going.

George felt a bit bad for Ron when his little brother caught sight of Hermione looking quite stunning on the arm of Viktor Krum, the quidditch star Ron had once cheered for during the World Cup game. His feelings about anything other than Mary disappeared, however, when Fred nudged him and pointed him in the direction of his own date. He, Fred and Angelina had been conversing about the upcoming game against Ravenclaw and George didn't feel the least bit bad leaving the conversation when his eyes found the sight of Mary MacDonald in her ball gown.

He took in the sight of her for a moment as she descended the stairs and though she was surrounded by Erin, Katie, Serena Cowslip, Ella Rowe and followed closely by the Patil twins, she clearly stood out. Her hair had been twisted up into a messy cascade of curls held in place by glittering hairpins and her makeup was slightly more accentuated than usual. She had a simple string of pearls around her neck and an elegantly sexy form fitting black dress that certainly made a statement. The dip of her cleavage had caught the eyes of many of the guys in the entrance hall, but George didn't really care, because she would be with him that night and him alone. The dress fell to just above her knees, where it feathered out a bit at the ends for a slight swishing effect when she walked.

Mary stepped down to George and he immediately kissed her full on the mouth, earning catcalls and whistles all around, his twin being the only one to yell out "I hope she likes twins!" which George was sure had earned him a smack from Angelina. When the kiss finally broke, he looked into her chocolate eyes and grinned. "How about that for an entrance?" he asked with a smirk. She grinned right back at him and he was once again assured it was love.

"Hello to you too, George," she replied.

George led Mary over to where Fred stood with Angelina, who still didn't look entirely pleased with him, but smiled warmly when the other girl approached. "You remember my brother," George introduced with a laugh. "Fred, Mary."

"How do you do?" he asked primly, looking at Angelina with a barely contained smirk.

"And Angelina, of course."

"I do know pretty much everyone you know here," she reminded him, slipping her hand into his.

"Right…well I suppose we should just get down to the wild partying then!"

Things started out quite well and after three hours of dancing and conversing, George escorted Mary out to the gardens for a walk. "This is great," she said looking around at the décor.

"Yeah…the view is beautiful," he replied, not taking his eyes off of her.

"A bit cheesy, but I'll take it," she told him with a grin. He pulled her down onto a bench and brought his lips to hers very gently. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips and nearly moaned when she opened up to him. The kissed turned a bit less innocent when he brought his arms up to wrap around her middle and hold her close to his lean form, but she didn't seem to care much as she traced his shoulders with her fingertips.

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted their heated snogging session. They looked up to find Professor Flitwick grinning. "I know that young love is strong, but we have to maintain a sense of propriety," he told the pair. "So I suggest if you want to carry on, you find a more secluded place."

Mary blushed a bit but George laughed heartily. "Suppose we'd better move up to the tower," he told her, leading her inside. "Later, Wiki!"

"Wiki?" she asked looking from George to the tiny professor as she was led away.

"Yeah. He's a good mate when he professor robes come off," George told her. She laughed with him as he led her up to the seventh floor to return to the tower and they found themselves surrounded by a host of first through third years.

Mary cleared her throat. "I suppose we should…retire, now, George. Thank you for tonight. It was amazing!!!"

"Thank you," he countered with a huge smile. I don't think I've ever had so much fun without Fred right beside me, but wouldn't you know he was busy snogging Angelina all night."

"Can't say you blame him," Mary replied. "She did look lovely."

"You don't…fancy girls, do you?"

"No," she laughed. "Just paying a girlfriend a compliment."

"Oh…" he sounded a bit relieved and she couldn't help but laugh even harder. He joined her after a moment and they only settled down when they shared another kiss on the stairs.

"'Night, George," she whispered.

"'Night."

"Want to watch a muggle movie tomorrow?"

"Sure," he agreed, more than ready to see her again.

"See you after lunch, then," she winked and was gone, leaving George grinning on the stairs.

"So how was your night?" Fred asked when he came back to the dormitory at two in the morning, looking thoroughly shagged.

"Pretty damned good."

"Get her in bed?" Fred asked, vanishing all of his clothes and crawling into bed naked.

"No…just…it was good, Fred. I really like her."

"I can tell."

"Think she'd make a good Weasley wife?"

Fred snorted. "Thinking about marrying her already?"

"I think I love her."

Fred went immediately silent. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Then go for it, mate," Fred said gently. "But don't forget that you've got to take me where ever you go…"

"I'm not leaving you, Fred."

"I know…it's just…my twin is growing up," he said with a fake sniffle, breaking the solemn moment.

"Forge, you're going to have to share your love."

"Gred, you're a crazy man if you think I'll share anything…she has your romance, but I've got your heart!"

George smiled, thinking about his brother's statement. Though Fred hadn't come out and said it, he was happy and George knew that. He only hoped that Fred would find someone as wonderful to be crazy about. With Angelina, he reasoned, Fred had come pretty close.


	4. I Want You Every Step of the Way

Every Step of the Way

Ch. 4: I Want You Every Step of the Way

George spent the day of Christmas with Fred, Ron, Ginny, and Harry in the Great Hall and later the Gryffindor common room, while Mary visited her brother Grey at the Slytherin tables. He saw her back to Gryffindor tower and she joined George and Fred for nearly an hour by the fire watching them perform parlor magic. She slipped him a wrapped box before heading up to her dormitory and he found himself being scrutinized by Fred.

"Did you get her anything?" Fred asked curiously watching his twin unwrap the silver covered gift.

"Should I have?"

"I suppose not...it's a bit early," Fred assured him.

Inside the package was a muggle book which the twins regarded curiously. It was apparently book Mary had previously read, but was in excellent condition. '10,000 Dirty Jokes, Puns and Innuendos' graced the cover and George looked up at his twin confusedly. "Did you know muggle shops had this kind of thing?" he asked, eyes dancing.

"I would own one of those books if I did know," Fred countered. "Open it and let's get started." George chuckled and opened the front cover to find a short handwritten note from his girlfriend.

'_George,_

_I know we've only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but I wanted to give you something and thought you might get some use out of this book. And if Fred's reading over your shoulder tell him Happy Christmas from me. _

_Yours,  
Mary'_

"Blimey," George said with a grin, looking over at his brother. "Knows a bit about us, doesn't she."

"I should hope so," Fred replied. "Good on her…looks like you had the right idea with this one."

George feigned a hurt look. "You question my judgment with women at other times?" he questioned and received a punch on the shoulder for his trouble.

"Get over you git! You'll not have to worry about it now you've got one I approve of!"

George rolled his eyes and allowed a smile to overtake his freckled features. He turned to the first page and started reading out loud, much to the amusement to his brother. They stayed up for nearly two more hours laughing and finished a third of the book. "This is bloody brilliant, mate!" Fred said as the two tripped up the stairs to the dorm they shared with their fellow sixth years. George was still laughing when he fell asleep, very pleased with the gift that Mary had chosen for him for Christmas.

For the rest of the Holidays, Mary spent the vast majority of her time with George and Fred, laughing about the book of jokes, hurling snowballs at each other and whoever else wandered within range, and chatting in front of the fireplace. Fred became even happier for his brother as he got to know Mary even better. She seemed to fit into their circle of immediate friends even better than either of them had imagined before the ball. She was even ok with them ruffling her feathers a bit, which they thoroughly appreciated, though George was a bit more pleased than Fred; he told his twin that he found her sexiest when she was a bit riled to which Fred simply laughed.

They were a bit disappointed to see school come back into session as they had been enjoying the holiday so much, but things moved on and as quidditch started up again, George reluctantly cut down the time he spent with Mary in the evenings. "I'll just come watch you practice, then," she said in hopes of solving the problem. George kissed her hard on the mouth, causing her to blush a bit and hurried to express to Fred his extreme pleasure in having such a girlfriend.

When Gryffindor triumphed over Slytherin for the final game of the season, George pulled Mary under the stands for a heated snog, which he had hoped to carry on a bit further, but was promptly interrupted by Professor Flitwick. He complained a bit, but exited the stands with her, and they headed instead toward the crowd of people in red dancing on the pitch. After some celebration the team broke away to get showers while the rest of the House prepared for a party in the tower.

There was a roar when they triumphant players entered the common room and Mary handed butter beers to her favorite gingers. The party lasted into the early morning and people were finally starting to drift up to their dormitories when George pulled Mary aside to chat. "Hey you," he greeted, a sloppy grin on his face.

"Hello there," she replied with a chuckle.

"You wanna come upstairs with me?" he asked.

"Sure. If you don't think your mates will mind," she replied.

He ran a finger down her cheek. "If they mind they can bugger off," he told her with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Alright then," Mary said, kissing his cheek. They were headed toward the stairs when Fred waved at them, grinning widely. "He looks happy," she commented.

"He's sloshed."

"So are you."

"Hardly," he said, wobbling on the spot.

"Right…well let's go then, before one of the prefects decides to make sure we're behaving." They made it up the stairs and to George's bed, but just barely. He flopped down onto his bed and dragged her with him, 'oompf'ing when she landed a bit heavily on his solar plexus. She kissed him soundly as her pulse started to race. She had been dating George for several months now, of course, but the farthest they had gone physically had been some heated snogs that somehow always got interrupted by Fred. She had a feeling he was doing it on purpose, but had to admit that it was a bit funny if it wasn't happening to you.

"I suppose I should have asked earlier," he said, fairly soberly. "But have you ever…er…been with a man?"

"No," she said quietly, glad for the darkness that hopefully hid her blush.

"Oh…well that's good. I mean, I had hoped that…well I wanted to be your first, not that I would have been upset if I wasn't…not with you anyway."

"Ah well, I suppose you don't have to worry about that."

"Do you want me?" he asked. "Who could say no to this body, really?" he added for humorous effect.

"I do, George. But I want you to promise me something," she told him seriously.

"Anything, love."

"Promise me that we'll still be us…not some pair of hormone crazed kids who are only together to shag."

He looked at her squarely. "I love you," he told her for the first time. She gasped a bit and he continued before she could respond. "And I can't promise that I won't want to shag you all the time or be a hormone crazed 'kid,' but that's not all I'll have you for."

Mary blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill over her lashes and grinned at him. "I love you too, George Weasley, and don't you forget it!" He kissed her in response and she knew that she was ready to take the next step in their relationship.


	5. Things are Getting Better

Things are Getting Better

George ran a hand down Mary's back and let it ghost over the swell of her bottom before gripping it firmly and pulling her hard against his straining erection. She gasped into their kiss and he let his tongue glide over hers as she tangled her fingers in his hair. He continued to caress her bum until she began to grind her pelvis against his and he was forced to grip her hips to slow her down so he wouldn't come early. He'd only ever been in a similar situation a handful of times with Katie Bell and didn't relish the idea of Mary seeing him as not in control of his body.

The beater flipped his girlfriend over onto her back and kissed his way from her mouth to her throat and then down to her collar bone. He sucked hard on her soft flesh, hoping to leave a bruise there for everyone to see before returning to her lips to kiss her gently. "Are you positive you're ready for this?" he asked her, sitting back on his haunches between her thighs.

"Yes, George. I'm ready," she replied, scanning his face. His eyes lit up with happiness at her words and she smiled right along with him as he started working on unfastening her jeans. Disrobing was a bit awkward at first, but after several deep breaths and lots of wriggling around, they were both totally exposed and George got the first look at Mary in all of her glory.

He licked his lips subconsciously as his eyes traced the curves of her body. The swells of her breasts, topped with dusky pink nipples made him harder than he had ever been and as he continued his downward ocular feast, his body tightened even further. Her flat belly was almost luminescent in the moonlight at the curve of her hips enticed him. He assumed that it was a built in sense in Weasley men to find women of good childbearing build attractive, and he couldn't help but bite his lip as he let his gaze slide down to the light triangle of hair at the apex of her thighs. Her shapely legs slid down onto the mattress as he regarded her and he realized that she was blushing a bit.

"You're beautiful," he said earnestly as he caressed the velvet skin of her calves.

"You're not half bad yourself," she replied. Years of quidditch training had done well to tone his body, giving him lean muscle that she greatly appreciated and as she scanned his pale frame, she lingered for a moment on the red thatch between George's legs. Light freckles covered most of his body from exposure to the sun, but he was very pale from his hips to mid thigh and that made his member stand out even more in contrast to the red hair. He was long and thick and she imagined that it wouldn't be pleasant the first time he entered her body, but god was he beautiful. She returned her gaze to his face to see him smirking down at her.

"See something you like?" he queried playfully.

"Perhaps." He kissed her again and their bare skin made full contact for the first time. His hard body pressed against her much softer one and they both moaned into the kiss they were sharing. Mary could feel him against her thigh and a chill shot through her body when she realized that before the night's end, she would feel him even more intimately. She let herself get lost in the feeling of George all around her, however, and her nerves were stifled by the pleasure she felt around him.

He kissed her soundly as his hands slid over her frame. She seemed to fit perfectly under him and that thought pleased him almost as much at the fact that she was beneath him. He let his hands slide between them to caress her soft mounds and her nipples hardened to his touch. He teased the peaks between his thumb and forefinger as their kiss became more heated and Mary arched her back into his touch, giving him even better access to her. He broke their kiss again to lick her from just below her ear to the valley between her breasts.

As George took one of her nipples into his mouth, Mary lost her breath for a moment. The feeling of his mouth on her was overwhelming and she was at a loss when he finally moved away. He laved the same attention on the other nipple and she breathed heavily writhing beneath him and pushing her hips subconsciously against his own. Her thighs parted automatically wider as he gripped one of her hips and as his member connected with the most intimate part of her she let out a low moan that made him lose his head.

George pushed forward into her in a swift movement, then froze as he realized what he had just done. She was hot and wet, throbbing around him and he looked into her eyes to see tears threatening to spill over her lashes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, devastated to have caused her the pain that was plainly etched on her face.

"Don't be…I'm ok," she told him. He couldn't relax though for several moments until he felt her relax some under him. "I'm ok now, George."

He still couldn't move within her, however, as he replayed his actions in his mind then relived seeing the pain in her eyes. It wasn't until she thrust her hips up against his that he was shaken out of his freeze frame and looked down at her. The need in her eyes melted away most of his guilt and he tentatively pulled back a bit and thrust into her again. George watched her face in fascination as she closed her eyes and bit her lip at his movement. After a moment he picked up his pace just to see her eyes fly open and her mouth form a perfect 'o.'

George kissed her and she wrapped her legs around his waist firmly as she stroked his back and he pushed into her quicker and deeper. As she made delicious little noises, he found himself nearing the edge of composure. He began to thrust wantonly and she dug her fingernails into his shoulders as he brushed the place inside her that made her whole body shudder. He moved harder and faster, brushing against that place again and again until she cried out sharply and clamped down around him. The feeling of her orgasm wrenched his own from him and he grunted into her shoulder as the tidal wave of feeling washed over his entire body.

They lay connected for several minutes until the feelings started to subside and were replaced by a thoroughly sated one. He removed himself from her and lay beside her before wrapping her in his arms. They were asleep moments later, both satisfied beyond belief and that's the way Fred found them the next morning.

George's twin threw back the curtains surrounding his bed to reveal a sheet clad Mary and a starkers George. "What the blood hell are you doing?" George asked, shielding his eyes from the light as Fred laughed heartily.

"Nothing nearly as fun as you," he retorted and George protectively curled Mary into his body to keep his twin's prying eyes off of her.

"Do you mind closing the curtain?" George asked.

"I would, but you didn't bother putting up a silencing charm, so I think it's only fair," Fred told him, causing Mary to blush. Fred rolled his eyes and flopped down on the bed behind George, then closed the curtain.

"We don't share everything, Freddie…you're my brother and best mate but if you don't get out I'll have to hex you."

"I'd take that threat more seriously if you were armed," Fred told him. "I just thought I'd warn you two lovebirds that Granger's on the war path…saw the two of you leaving for here last night, but couldn't get to you in time to stop you."

"Can she do something about it?" Mary asked, frowning slightly.

"Nah…but she'll give George here hell."

"Let her snark…it was worth it…"

Fred stood quickly. "Time for me to go…see you at breakfast in twenty minutes," he said. "And you'd both better be there!"

Fred left and the couple who had been rudely awakened looked at each other. "We'd better go," George told her. "He'll pitch a fit if he can't share his gossip over morning nibbles."

Mary laughed, but acquiesced to the getting up request. She and George showered quickly and headed down to the Great Hall.


	6. It's gonna be Ok

Every Step of the Way

Ch 6: It's Gonna Be Ok

"Don't look now, but the know-it-all is about ten seconds away from exploding all over you, Georgie," Fred warned his twin less than thirty seconds after he and Mary took their places at the Gryffindor table. George glanced up just in time to see Hermione stand up and turn toward him.

"This isn't going to be good," he muttered taking a large bite of a kipper and steeling himself for the anger she would likely pour out over him.

"Morning, Fred. George."

"Hullo," they greeted simultaneously, both giving her sickly sweet grins.

"How was your night?" she asked the latter, eyeing Mary briefly.

"Fine. And yours? Did Ickle Ronniekins give you any trouble?"

She flushed, knowing George was referring to the inebriated state his brother had been in the previous night when he had tried to cop a feel of Hermione's arse. "No…he was quite placid after you retired for the evening."

"Ah…good chap."

"Fred here conveniently stopped me to ask about a potion before I could congratulate you on a good game," she told George, throwing his doppelganger a look that suggested he had asked questions to keep her away from something larger.

"Well thanks. Didn't know you were a great fan of Quidditch," George said pleasantly. He speared another kipper. "Did you come over here to boost my ego or would you like to say something else? I'm just getting some food and I've got to be off."

"Well there was something else," she said, casting Mary another displeased look. "I noticed that you left the party early last night…I hope you weren't sick."

"I just escorted my girlfriend up to her dormitory for the evening," George replied, winking at Mary who, like Fred, was watching the scene unfold with some degree of amusement.

"You were going to the boys dormitories, George, and you should be ashamed of yourself. You're lucky I don't owl your mum!"

"Are you the shagging police, Hermione?" Fred asked with a grin.

"No," she replied annoyed. "But any young lady who would agree to that kind of thing before she'd been properly married obviously needs a lesson in propriety and I would have thought that you would have been a bit more discrete in your indiscretions, George!"

George, Fred, Mary and several other students sitting around them were properly shocked that Hermione had come out and said something quite so rude. For a moment there was silence, and then Mary stood and cleared her throat. "I'm sure you mean well, Hermione, but you should get all of the facts before you go off declaring someone a 'scarlet woman,'" she told the younger girl calmly. "If you had a problem with me I would have preferred you come to me privately about it, but obviously you can't be bothered with such 'indiscretions.'" Before Hermione could reply to that remark, Mary turned on her heel and walked away, not about to let anyone see her break down.

"Bugger off!" George advised his brother's friend before following Mary out of the Great Hall. Hermione looked affronted, but didn't get a chance to reply to that either as Fred stood as well.

"I would have thought you of all people would be a bit more understanding of girls with male friends or that keep male company, proper or no, Hermione," he told her. "After all it's not like you've not been in Harry and Ron's rooms since starting Hogwarts."

"That's different. There's never any question about my intentions, they clearly had less than proper ideas in mind and I thought that perhaps they should think about the consequences of their actions a bit more," she protested.

"Yes well, we can't all be as proper as you, now can we," Fred asked. "And it's not really fitting for a swat like yourself to tell older women how to behave." When Hermione couldn't find a reply suitable for that remark Fred continued. "It looks like Ron's tact is rubbing off on you," he told her, then left the hall in search of his twin.

George didn't catch up with Mary until she was getting ready to enter the Gryffindor common room. "Oi, wait for me!" he called and she paused a bit, scrubbing at the tearstains on her cheeks before facing him. He followed her into the common room and they took a seat in front of the fire. "No one else thinks you're in any way like Hermione suggested," he told her. "Least of all me. What we choose to do is none of anyone else's concern."

"Yes, well I'm sure that's a lovely notion, but once the idea like that is in your head it sticks."

"I love you and the rest of the world can go to hell." George took her into his arms and let her cry a bit into his shoulder until she fell asleep in his lap. Fred found him stroking her hair half an hour later.

"I didn't think she would be quite so bitchy," Fred told his brother.

"Yes, well she's going to apologize and not to me," George replied darkly. Fred nodded his agreement.


	7. I Wanna Be With You

Every Step of the Way

Ch 7: I Wanna Be With You

For the next week, Mary avoided places where Hermione generally frequented and was a bit more reserved than usual which only served to make George angrier and angrier at Hermione. He pulled her into an empty classroom as she was heading back from the library on Sunday night. She struggled a bit against him, and then whirled on him once he let her go. "What are you doing, George?" she demanded, a little more flustered than usual.

"I want to talk to you about something."

"And what, pray tell, is that?" she asked haughtily.

"About how you treated my girlfriend last weekend and what you're going to do about it," he told her, not at all impressed with her superior tone. "She's been taking a lot of heat from people about your stupid comments. You need to apologize to her."

"You can get people to shut up, they like you."

"That was the first time she had ever…that was her only experience…and now she's got idiots calling her a 'Quidditch Quitch.'"

"And what is the definition of that term?"

"It's essentially what you made her out to be, only worse. They're saying she's a player chaser and a slut because of your implications."

"Who is 'they?'"

"Mostly people from other houses. Not exactly friendlies, but still not people who usually talk. You're the reason that she's got this shit going on. If you hadn't made a big deal out of it, she wouldn't be seen as anything other than a girl who slept with her boyfriend."

"I just think people should be more aware of their actions, George. Things you do have consequences."

"So you wouldn't mind me making a huge deal about you being in the guys dormitories with Ron and Harry next time you're there?"

"That's not the same and you know it!"

"You're going to apologize to her and anyone who asks you will get the response that you were just having a horrible day and made a mistake," George told her.

"Or what?"

"Hermione, do you really want to ruin someone's repuatation like that?" he asked.

He could tell that she was rethinking her actions. "Fine. I'll do that. I'm sorry, but that doesn't change that you've practically kidnapped me."

"Sorry to have to do that, but it was a necessary evil."

"Don't harass me about this anymore. I'll apologize," she told him. "But the next time you need something try to be a bit more normal in asking to chat."

After Hermione left, George rubbed his temples. He wasn't usually so stressed out, but the stress put on Mary was just as bad, if not worse for him. He truly wanted her to be happy and that was somewhat impossible at the moment. He left the classroom and went off in search of Fred, hoping that Hermione got a chance to apologize to Mary before he got back.

"Oi!" Fred called out to him as he was leaving the classroom. "Where've you been? Lee and I are plotting and you're in some classroom with Hermione! Let's get priorities straight!" George knew his twin was joking, but he wasn't pleased with Hermione, so the effect of the joke was lost on him.

"Had to take care of some things," he replied dryly. "Hermione thought I could use a lesson in discretion."

"You know your girlfriend will kill you if you start talking like that," Lee told him. "And I pissed her off in second year…I should warn you about her right hook."

Fred snorted. "Mary kicked your ass? Why do we hang out with you, again?"

"You're suckers for my dashing good looks and charm."

It was George's turn to scoff now, as he was loosened up by the joking of his two best friends. "Right. And Fred fancies Moaning Myrtle."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's the reason she's always moaning," Lee said, waggling his eyebrows.

"I am the only bloke that could woo her as such," Fred agreed.

"Alright, you two, let's get this party started."

"Yea we won't get much done in the way of torturing first years if we don't get started fairly quickly," George said with a grin. The boys disappeared behind a tapestry and started on their way to finding someone to test some new products on.

Mary was reading an autobiography of Morgana Le Faye, curled up in her bed when a knock on the door jarred her out of her zone. She placed the book on the bedside table and crossed the room to find Hermione Granger waiting on the other side, looking rather uncomfortable. She was more than a little surprised and she was a bit harsher than necessary as she asked the younger girl how she could be of assistance.

"What do you need?" Mary asked.

"I…owe you a huge apology. I really shouldn't have called you out about anything that I didn't know the full story on and I really hope you can forgive me. I was having a really terrible morning and I know that's no excuse."

Mary stepped back and allowed Hermione to come into the room. Hermione cleared her throat. "You're not going to lecture on how this is partially my own fault for having been in George's room in the first place, are you?" Mary asked. "Because I don't really care to hear that kind of apology."

"I'm not going to excuse my actions, and I'm not going to go into my personal beliefs and try to tear you down in any way. I just really needed to apologize," Hermione told her.

"Well I appreciate that. It'll take a while for me to get over this though…sort a blow to my reputation."

"I'll do everything I can to restore that," Hermione assured her.

"Well thank you. I've got to handle it inside my own person, more than anything though."

"I really am sorry."

"Please stop apologizing," Mary told her. "It's fine. I'm over that part."

"Ok. Well I hope we can still be friends."

"Were we friends before?"

"Erm…I suppose not," Hermione admitted. "But I'd like to try if you're willing."

"Ok then. We can try it out and see how it works. If it's just not possible, though…if we're not compatible, I'm not going to lose any sleep and I don't think you'll be heartbroken either."

Hermione cleared her throat. "I suppose you're right."

"Did you need anything else?"

"No…I'll just be going. Thanks. For giving me another chance."

"Sure. Let's just not talk about this again."

"Alright…I'll see you later."

After Hermione left, Mary turned back to her book. She didn't quite know how to take Hermione. She hadn't ever met anyone who would apologize so readily, not that she minded. She really wanted to get over the stupid situation and the quicker the better. It was nice to have an apology when she knew she hadn't done anything wrong from someone who had blown it out of proportion, but she only hoped that the situation wouldn't get even larger because Hermione wanted to do the right thing by her.

Things concerning the situation with Mary were clearing up fairly quickly. George spent as much time as possible with her and Fred when he wasn't in class or at Quidditch practice. He was pleased when Hermione stood up for Mary when some quite rude seventh years were discussing the reasons why George was staying with Mary. Things were looking great and he had even planned some romantic evenings with his girlfriend before the end of the term.

"What are your plans for the summer?" George asked her one evening as Fred and Lee showed off at exploding snap for Angelina and Katie in front of the fire.

"I'm not sure exactly," she replied. I'm probably going to spend a lot of time alone. Mum's going to be in Romania working.

"Well I wanted to ask if you'd like to spend some time with us at the Burrow. I talked to Mum and she reckons it'll be ok for you to spend a few weeks if you'd like," George said.

"Oh…we'll I'd like that, but I don't want to put your family out."

"Don't worry about that. They'd like to have you."

"Alright," Mary agreed. "Just let me know when you'd like me to come and I'll let Mum know."

George nodded and went back to watching Fred and Lee just as a small explosion set Lee's robes on fire. "Put it out, put it OUT!!!!" Lee yelled, dancing around as the flames licked upward toward his dreadlocks. The twins erupted into laughter and Angelina whipped out her wand to save Lee. It wasn't long before the jokes about Lee being a 'hunk of burning love' started and Mary sank into the happiness that surrounded her.


	8. Every Step of the Way

Every Step of the Way

Ch. 8- Every Step of the Way

The third day of summer was beating the inhabitants of the MacDonald Manor into going indoors. The weather witch had predicted it to be the hottest day of the entire summer and Mary was certainly feeling it. She was uncomfortable and sweaty before she even got out of bed. She grumbled a bit, making a mental note to put a cooling charm on as soon as she got out of the shower and headed toward the bathroom. She sighed as the cold water hit her body and she let the coolness consume her. Eleven days until she would see George again…

Four more days, Mary mentally counted, until she could see George again. He had owled her at least every other day and she was glad he was doing well but she missed him quite a lot. The weather had been extremely warm over the summer and she had hoped that she might persuade her boyfriend to go skinny dipping with her sometime during her two week visit. She was a bit nervous about meeting the rest of his family, but not overly so. She had seen them around for most of her life, after all. They seemed like perfectly nice people and George had assured her that they were quite interested in meeting her. She sighed and went back to writing her letter to him, wondering what those two weeks would hold for them.

Mary sighed as she lay in bed the night before she would be able to see George again. He had owled early that morning to tell her that he and Fred would be coming to collect her at precisely 10 a.m. the next morning and she knew she wouldn't be sleeping. It had been far too long for her liking since she had last seen her boyfriend. It had been 2 weeks, for the love of Merlin. She smiled, thinking about the kiss they had shared just before they parted. That kiss had promised good things to come and her boredom of the last 2 weeks certainly qualified her for good things, she reasoned. Her mother had left after the first week and Mary had been alone in the manor for the last week save for Elipsi, Alden and Nepo, the family's house elves. Though she liked the creatures, they weren't extremely comfortable being around her socially for long periods of time and mostly kept to themselves.

The moonlight filtered into the room through the crack in her curtains and she looked toward the full moon with a sigh. There were still several hours until morning and she had no idea how she was expected to keep still. Giving up on sleep, she climbed out of bed and settled into the chair beside her desk to write. Writing always helped her pass the time and lose herself in fantasy.

Sun started filtering through the window, alerting Mary that the time was nearing when she would be seeing George. She laid down her quill and glanced up at the clock. 7 a.m. she noted, standing and yawning. She decided to go ahead and get into the shower so she could spend the rest of the morning preparing to see George. She had packed nearly a week previously, but she wanted to look great for him as it had been 2 full weeks. Things were running smoothly until she couldn't find her shoes. She growled her displeasure and after ten minutes of searching, started digging in the back of her closet for her flip flops.

Mary didn't even hear the twins walk into the room. Her first indication that someone was watching her was a long low whistle followed by a cat call. She spun around quickly, flops in one hand, wand in the other. The twins laughed simultaneously. "If I'd known that I'd catch you with your bum in the air I would have insisted that we come much sooner," Fred said as George gingerly turned her wand away from his chest.

"Great to see you too," he said with a grin. She kissed him soundly then smacked his chest. "Ouch!"

"How about ringing the bell?" she asked. "You guys nearly gave me a heart attack!"


	9. You Were the Girl

Every Step of the Way

Chapter 9- You Were the Girl that Let me Follow You

Mary laughed along with the twins all the way to the Burrow. They had come on brooms and had put her on the back of George's broom as they chased each other and did dive bombs to try and scare her. "Good to see that these last weeks haven't ruined your sense of humor," she told them with a grin as they descended in the woods just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole.

"Couldn't let my heartbreak keep me down, love. I wanted to present a good face for you!" Fred told her. "George feels the same way of course."

George playfully pushed his brother's shoulder. "Oi, that's my woman. You'll let me do the flirting if you know what's good for you! Can't have you falling for my clone."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Right, now let's just get there before the whole village realizes that the infamous Weasley twins are off trying to lure a poor impressionable girl into their home." The twins simultaneously snorted with laughter as they each looped an arm through hers and started making their way up the hill, through the trees toward the Burrow.

Upon first meeting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as George's girlfriend, Mary was fairly nervous. This was her first official meeting of a boyfriend's parents and though she was confident in what she was bringing to the table, she also wanted to make a good impression. Things quickly went from formal to friendly; however, as the Weasleys were hardly people to stand on ceremonies. In no time Mary was laughing with Ginny and the twins in the living area. The boys and Ginny decided to round up Ron, Bill and Charlie, who were in for the week and play a game of Quidditch out in the yard and Mary opted to help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen.

"Don't you play Quidditch, dear?"

"Not really. I'm an occasional player, but they've got even teams and I'd rather be in the kitchen today," Mary replied. "I'm in the mood to cook."

"Ah, dear, we could use more ladies like you around here. Ginny isn't interested in culinary skills and poor Hermione couldn't keep from burning water," the older woman laughed. "The twins are better than the other boys at cooking, Charlie nearly at their level…the rest haven't the skills…they get that from Arthur."

"No one can cook like you, I'm sure. You're famous all over for your skills," Mary said.

"Don't flatter me, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, blushing. Mary could tell she appreciated the appreciation, though. They set to work preparing the customary Weasley feast while the others tired themselves out on the hill and Arthur piddled around in his garage. By the time the dinner was ready, the boys and Ginny were all filing into the house, more than ready to tuck in.

"This looks great, Mum," Charlie said enthusiastically.

"Well I did have some help this evening," Mrs. Weasley said with a grin in Mary's direction.

"You cook?" Fred asked Mary. "Well done, mate!" he elbowed his twin in the ribs as he chuckled. "We'll get fed well even away from home."

"You lot live at Hogwarts," Bill pointed out. "I would have thought you would get enough to eat at school."

"Yes, but what if something happens and we're trapped in the common room for a few days? We'll at least know that we'll be fed properly!" Fred announced.

"What would she cook for you, mattress?" Ginny asked.

"She could come up with something…magic!" George said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. As they were preparing to start the meal an owl flew through the open window and dropped a letter off with Ron.

"Harry's asked if he could come early," Ron announced. "Those bloody gits are treating him like more shite than he should be treating them!"

"Of course he can come, dear," Molly said, "but if you don't watch your language, Ronald, I'll have you cleaning out the swamp barehanded." The twins sniggered and Ron turned beet red as his mother motioned for everyone to dig in.

Before the end of the first day, Mary had been initiated into the Weasley clan and things were feeling like home for her with the happy bunch of ginger-haired purebloods. She beat Charlie and Fred at exploding snap before losing spectacularly to George, and then teamed up with Bill to beat the twins in one. She went to bed quite content with the way things were going so far in her vacation and wishing she could just stay forever.

George lay awake until nearly two o'clock in the morning thinking about Mary. Fred was long gone in sleep, his quiet snoring floating over to George, who was nearly oblivious. George was much happier than he ever thought he could be with a girl. Things were certainly always fun when he snogged a pretty bird, but he knew Mary was different. She fit right in with his family and seeing her again had started a new fire inside him. He didn't quite know how to tell her about his feelings, but Fred had told him it was quite normal to feel such strong things about a great woman. He was only seventeen, though and didn't want to come off as too strong or too serious.

George sighed quietly as he thought of the way Mary had looked in her sundress today. The tightening of his loins urged him to go to her, but of course that was impossible as she was bunking in with Ginny. He cast a few charms to keep things from getting exceptionally awkward if Fred happened to awaken, and then plunged his right hand into his pajama bottoms. As he stroked his hard shaft, he envisioned his girlfriend sneaking into his room. After wanking and relieving the pressure, George cast a cleaning charm and vowed to get Mary alone the next day.


End file.
